Uprooting mechanism for beet-harvesters.



r. s. MOORE. UPR OOTIN G MECHANISM FOR BEER HARVESTERS.

' APPuc/mou FILED FEa. 2s.'1'914; Patented June 8, 1915.

T. S. MOOHIL. UPROOTING MECHANISM FOR BEET HARVESTERS.

APPLICATION HLED FEB- 25. 1914- 1,142,049. Patented June 8, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET2.

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THOMAS S. MOCRE, F SHOSI-IONI, WYOMING, ASSIGNOR OF ONE=HALF TO MORTWILLIAMS, 0F WHEATLAND, WYOMING.

specification of Letters Patent.

racemes June s, 1915,

original application filed October 11, 1913, Serial No. 794,684. Dividedand this application filed February 4 25, 1914. Serial No. 820,841.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. MOORE, citizen of the United States,residing at Shoshoni, in the county of Fremont and State of Wyoming,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Uprooting Mechanismfor Beet-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of an applir-ation filed by me October11,1913,Ser1al No. 794,684..

The present invention relates to uprooting mechanism for beet harvestersand has for'its object the provision of novel means whereby, asthemachine is drawn-over the field, the beets will be withdrawn from theground and brought into position to be directly engaged by a conveyorfor dehvery at the rear of the machine.

Another object of the invention is to mount the uprooting mechanism insuch manner that the beet-engaging members may be adjusted to run at thedesired depth.

These stated objects and other objects which will incidentally appearare attained in mechanism of the character illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and the invention consists in certain novelfeatures which will be hereinafter first fully described and thenparticularly pointed out in the claims following the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1' is a longitudinal vertical section of a beetharvester embodying my present improvements, Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same, Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the manner of mounting thelifting roller.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a frame 1 which may be of "anyconvenient dimensions and of any preferred detailed construction. Thisframe is equipped at its front end with a draft pole or tongue 2 and inthe sides of the frame is journaled an axle 3 upon which are fittedground wheels 4 adapted to actuate the axle throughthe well knownescapement devices.

The plows 7, which are designed to run in the ground along the row ofplants and at opposite sides of the plants in the row, are secured toand carried by the lower ends of standards 8 which have their upper endsmerged into forwardly extending beams 9 and the said beams are securedat their front ends to a hanger 10 which extends upsupport 11 securedupon the frame 1 of the machine. This hanger 10 is adjustably secured inthe said bracket bya pin 12 inserted through any one of perforations 13in the hanger and through suitable open-- ings in the sides of thebracket 11, as will be readily understood. The front ends of the beamsmay thus be adjusted to any desired height and the depth at which theworking parts may'travel thus regulated. It will be seen at oncethatthis construction provides a very simple means whereby the plows maybe lowered to act upon the beets, as shown in Fig. 1, or may be raisedso'as to travel clear of the surface of the ground, when the machine isnot to operate and is being drawn from field to field or being taken toa storehouse. The tops are removed while to engagea segment or rack '31so that the plows will be held in the position in which they may be set.Above the plows 7 and extending upwardly vand rearwardly from thestandards 8, are a which are adapted to cdoperate with the plows inraising the beet bodies. The front ends of the said rollersarezfiountedupon the plow standards 8 by ball and socket,bearings as shownin Fig. 3 so that the rollers may readily accommodate the vertical,

pair of rollers 32 movement or adjustment of the plows and the rear endsof the said rollers are journaledin' a cross bar 33 of the frame andequipped with intermeshing pinions 34. The rollers are tapered towardtheir front ends so that they will more readily engage the plants andmay accommodate beet bodies of different sizes. One of the rollers 32has secured to its rear end the front end of a flexible shaft 35.-whichis -jburnaled'in-suitable bearings uPQn theframe of the ma-' chine andisfitted at its rear end with a anism and when it is desired to act uponthe plants it, is necessary only to shift the clutch member 27 intoengagement with the clutch hub 26 whereupon the gear wheel 27 will beactuated.

Disposed longitudinally of the machine and above the rollers. 32 so asto cooperate therewith is a flexible carrier or chain 44 which istrained around a sprocket 45 journaled upon the plow standards 8 andprovided with pairs of teeth or pins 46 upon each of its links. The saidchainis actuated by a sprocket wheel 47, secured upon the extended hubof the gear wheel 37,,and the intermediate portions of its upper andlower runs are supported and guided by idlers 48 and 49 mounted in anyconvenient manner upon the frame of the machine above and in rear of theslotted platform 38. As the beet bodies are taken up by the rollers 32,the pins or teeth 46 of the carrier 44 will engage the bodies and forcethem toward and-over the rear ends of the rollers and onto the platform38 to and against the stop 41 which will arrest the travel of the beetsand cause the carrier to release the same. The beets are subsequentlyremoved from the plat form.

It is thought the-operation of my improved machine willbe readilyunderstood from the foregoing description taken in con-.

nection with the accompanying drawings. As the machine is drawn alongthe row of plants the topping rollers 16 will pull the tops from theplants. The continued forward travel of the machine will then bring theplows 7 under the beets and at opposite sides of the same, so that thebeets will be caused to ride up the front inclined edges or points ofthe plows to the front ends of the rollers 32 which will engage thebeets as they pass over the upper ends of the plows, and, as theserollers 32 are rotated in opposite directions with theiradjacentsurfaces moving upwardly, they will impart an upward movement to thebeets so that they may be engaged by the pins of the carrier 44. Thesaid carrier will then force the beets onto the platform 38, aspreviously stated. The rollers and the carrier are all driven positivelyfrom the gearing mounted on the axle of the machine so that the beetscannot accumulate at any one point and clog When the clutch memdetailsof construction and arrangement of the operation; The dirt which mayadhere to a beet as it is uprooted by the plows will drop therefrom'asit travels over the rollers 32 and asit is delivered onto the platform38 and will fall through the space betweenthe rollers and through theslots in the platform.

A seat 61 of the usual form is preferably provided upon the frame, andto prevent loss of beets by slipping of the same laterally over therollers 32, I preferably employ guards 62 extending from the plow standeards 8 to the bar 33 of theframe, but these guards are not indispensableand may be omitted if desired. I

Other changes may be made in the minor parts without departing from thespirit of the invention as the same is defined in the following claims.

What I claim is: 1. In a beet harvester, the combination of a supportingframe, plow beams carried thereby, means for adjusting the plow beamsvertically, and lifting rollers having their rear ends journaled uponthe frame and their front ends loosely connected with the plows.

2. In a beet harvester, the combination of a main frame, plow beamsdisposedbelow the front end of the frame, plows carried by therear endsof the plow beams, a lever mounted upon the main frame and connect; edto the rear ends of the plow beamsto support the same, a hanger securedto the front ends of the plowbeams and adj ustably supported upon themainv frame, and liftmg rollers connected with and extending upwardlyand rearwardly from the plows.

3. In a beet harvester, the combination of a main frame, plow beamssuspended from the front end of the main frame, plows carried by therear ends of said beams, lifting rollers disposedin rear of the plowbeams and extending upwardly and rearwardly from the plows, intermeshingpinlons on the rear ends of the rollers, a flexible shaft d1S posedlongitudinally of the frame and connected to one of the lifting rollers,and means on the frame acting upon the rear end of said shaft to rotatethe same.

4. In a beet harvester, the combination of a supporting frame, plowshung thereon, lifting rollers supported by the plows and frame andextending longitudinally of the same, and guards extendinglongitudinally

